Manual:Professional Development:Acting the Part

Acting the Part
Now that you look the part you need to act the part. Sure you can have the proper posture, look spiffy in your uniform and have the best combed hair in the room, but that does not mean a thing unless you can conduct yourself in a professional manner. In this section we will explore how attitude, conduct and courtesy, initiative, and self-control all can be used to convey professionalism.

Attitude
Attitude is a state of mind or a feeling and aside from the way that you present yourself visually it is the next important way in presenting yourself. After you are judged by how professional you look people will then judge your attitude. You may look professional but you also have to act it. Again your attitude can either hin-der or help you.

Below are the three common characteristics that make up one’s attitude.

Conduct and Courtesy
By now you know that you need to look good and have a positive attitude, but even those will not succeed in conveying a positive and professional image if you are rude, thoughtless, or inconsiderate. Courtesy is extremely important to the professional. Being courteous is the most effective tool that you possess when it comes to avoiding misunderstandings and miscommunications that often bedevil interpersonal relationships. If someone is talking to you, listen quietly; don’t interrupt. If you need to speak with someone and they are engaged in conversation with someone else; wait calmly until they are finished with their prior conversation before beginning your own. Most importantly respect the rights of others. Respect their property, their person and their beliefs. In respect to SFI and the SFMC respect their right to enjoy their fan experience as much as you enjoy yours. In the end you will find that you have earned the respect of others around you.

Besides being courteous one must also be dependable. You must carry through with what you promise to do or say that you will do. If you volunteer to do a particular task you are promising someone that you will com-plete the task correctly to the best of your abilities. If you don’t intend to perform a task to the best of your abilities, correctly, or you just don’t have the time for whatever reason, or you already are working on several tasks, it is best to not even volunteer. There no more sure-fire way of losing respect than if you promise to do something and then renege. 

Self-Control
The final component in acting professional is self-control. Self-control is defined as the exertion of one’s own will on their personal self – their behaviors, actions, and thought processes. In everyday life and within STAR-FLEET and the SFMC there will be times when someone will “push your buttons” and you’ll get angry and want to retaliate. The difference between being a professional and not is not giving into the anger, analyze the situation and respond calmly.

Anger is a powerful force; it can be used either constructively or to destroy. As a professional you must channel the anger toward the goal that you are attempting to achieve. Do not waste your time or energy to avenge yourself on everyone that you think has done you wrong. If you do avenge yourself just remember that you’ll not accomplish anything constructive but you’ll lose any respect that you have gained from others around you. By channeling your time and energy to something more constructive you can actually accomplish some-thing and in the process gain more respect from those around you.